Newton ranked No. 4 in AP Poll

Published 1:00 am, Thursday, August 13, 2015

Newton's Jaron Hanks, No. 28, tries to outrun the Wildcats' Mike Reason, No. 21, during Thursday's championship game against Waskom. The Newton Eagles played against the Waskom Wildcats at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, for the 3A Division II championship on Thursday afternoon.
Photo taken Thursday 12/18/14
Jake Daniels/The Enterprise
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Newton's Jaron Hanks, No. 28, tries to outrun the Wildcats' Mike Reason, No. 21, during Thursday's championship game against Waskom. The Newton Eagles played against the Waskom Wildcats at the AT&T Stadium in ... more

Photo: Jake Daniels

Newton ranked No. 4 in AP Poll

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Newton and West Orange-Stark were two of four Southeast Texas football teams to earn Top 10 rankings in the Texas Associated Press annual preseason poll Wednesday.

Less than a year after state runner-up finishes in their respective classifications, the Eagles were voted No. 4 in Class 3A with 156 points, while West Orange-Stark, who received one first-place vote, was ranked No. 5 in Class 4A with 116 points.

"I tell my kids all the time that it doesn't matter where you start the season," Mustangs head coach Cornel Thompson said. "It's where you end it."

Navasota, the defending Class 4A Division I state champion, was voted No. 1 in Class 4A after receiving 19 first-place votes followed by Argyle at No. 2. Gilmer, who defeated the Mustangs 35-25 in the Division II title game, received two first-place votes and were ranked No. 3 with Graham ranked No. 4.

"Everyone has to be somewhere when the season begins," Thompson said. "But we are working hard to stay atop this lofty perch."

District 12-3A Division I was well-represented in the Class 3A poll with two of its teams Kirbyville and East Chambers earning Top 10 spots.

"I think we deserve to be there," Kirbyville coach Greg Neece said. "This just means that others are recognizing the quality of our team, but regardless of our preseason ranking, our goals are still the same. Win the district title and hold up that golden ball in Houston."

Kirbyville received 115 votes en route to being ranked sixth, while with 34 votes East Chambers was ranked 10.

"I think East Chambers though is ranked too low," Neece said. "They return a lot of guys and have the reigning District MVP in Dylan Silcox."

Cameron Yoe, winners of three straight state titles, was listed at the top of Class 3A with 20 first-place votes.